The Deserted Trail
by Pyralspite
Summary: Peeta Mellark could have any girl he wanted. He had the looks, the personality, the charm. But he knew his heart only belonged to one girl. Katniss Everdeen. His Best Friend. His huntress. The girl who meant everything to him. The girl who was now dying. Modern day AU. - COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1: The Boy

**A/N: So I started writing this fanfic based on an idea I had a while ago. Its been nagging at my head for a while, and I finally got fed up and wrote the first chapter of it. I've kinda been half-assing my other fanfic "The Escape", and I feel seriously guilty about it, but I have serious writer's block when it comes to that story. I've wound such an intricate plot that I've ended up between a rock and a hard place when it comes to that story. Anyway, thats the reason I wrote this one, so I could possibly work my writer's block away. I expect this to be around ten to fifteen chapters long, but I'll write as many as I need to in order to work my way through the plot.**

**and this may be confusing, but im writing this in third person Ominescent. that basically means that i have insight to the characters feelings, but im not part of the story, just some all knowing being who is narrarating it.**

Summary: Peeta Mellark could have any girl he wanted. He had the looks, the personality, the charm. But he knew his heart only belonged to one girl. Katniss Everdeen. His Best Friend. His huntress. The girl who was now dying. Modern day AU.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games**

The boy walked along the deserted trail, kicking at the leaves in his path. The Pennsylvania Woods were beautiful at this time of year; flushed with beautiful shades of orange, the boy's favorite color. The boy didn't focus on his surroundings though. His hands were in his pockets, his head bend down slightly. He was in deep thought. There were many thoughts going through his head at this point. After all, he was a typical 18 year old boy. Whether it was remembering the scene in front of him so that he could paint it later, or thinking of different ways to experiment with the bread at his family's bakery, his mind was always full, close to overflowing. But at this point, only one thing was circulating through his head.

The girl.

The one girl he'd been in love with for almost twelve years now. It started as a small crush, a mere feeling of affection and wonder towards this girl whose voice could make the birds stop singing. His love for her started after the outdoor assembly in kindergarten, when the teacher asked if any of them knew the Valley Song. A hand shot straight up. A little girl with dark pigtails bounced up towards the front of the crowd. She smoothed out her checkered red dress, and began to sing.

_Deep in the Meadow, Under the Willow_

_A bed of grass, a soft green pillow _

_Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes _

_And when again they open, the sun will rise_

_Here it's safe, here it's warm _

_Here the daisies guard you from every harm _

_Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true _

_Here is the place where I love you._

The boy watched in awe, as the birds around them stopped singing. The girl's voice had a haunting, almost ethereal ring to it. As the beautiful notes washed over him, he felt something that he had never felt before.

A warm fluttering of the heart.

And from that moment, he knew that he wanted to get to know this girl. He tried to approach her the next day, but lost his nerve as soon as he'd taken more than five steps. He repeated this failed attempt several more times, each time with the same result. This continued until a week after the assembly, when he finally got the chance to talk to her.

The boy rounded the corner of the hallway that day, in a hurry to catch up to his older brothers as they left school. He was in such a hurry that he didn't pay attention to where he was going. He rounded the corner, only to smack headfirst into someone. He fell backwards, landing on his rear, his eyes closed in shock. He heard the other person fall backwards and hit the ground. He slowly opened his blue eyes, trying to figure out who bumped into him. His eyes widened as he realized who it was.

The girl was sitting on the ground in front of him, tears streaming out of her gray eyes. She was crying, and immediately, the boy was struck by a strong urge to comfort her. He then realized that he had caused her to cry by bumping into her and making her fall.

"Are you alright?" he asked her. She sniffled.

"M-my arm h-hurts," she said, tears still streaming down her face. The boy looked at the arm she was now cradling against her chest, and noticed a reddish spot on her forearm that was already starting to bruise. Her arm must have hit the wall when she fell. Guilt struck him in full force.

"I'm sorry," he said, holding out his hand to help her up. She took it with her good hand, her crying reduced to mere sniffling. She continued to cradle her hurt hand.

"Does it hurt a lot?" the boy asked, with all the curiosity of a five year old. She nodded her head. The boy stood there for a few minutes, not knowing what to do. Then, he got an idea.

"Can I see it?" he asked, holding out his hand. She reluctantly placed her injured hand in his. He looked at the bruised spot and kissed it. His father did this whenever he or his brothers got hurt, and he believed with all his heart that it would make the girl feel better.

"See, I kissed it. Now you should feel better," he said. The girl smiled.

"Thanks. My daddy does that all the time when I get hurt. It feels better now," she said adorably. She then thrust out her hand.

"My name's Katniss Everdeen, what's yours?"

"Peeta Mellark," the boy replied openly, giving her a goofy grin. One of his front teeth had fallen out recently, making his face look even goofier. She laughed.

"Wanna be friends?" she asked him. He nodded instantly, and ever since that day, the two were inseparable.

Years had passed since that day in Peeta's life. Many things had changed; many friends had come and gone. Peeta grew up, growing from the small chubby five year old boy to an eighteen year old man, strongly built from working at the bakery. He grew handsomer with each passing year, his blond hair messier, and his blue eyes livelier.

Katniss had also changed. She was no longer the young girl with the pigtails and plaid dress. She grew lither and more graceful. Her gray eyes still retained that beautiful look, and she now wore her hair in one braid down her back instead of two. She was now Katniss Everdeen, the huntress; the girl after his own heart.

Peeta remembered the day when Katniss first learned how to hunt. It was a year after they had both met, when they were six years old. Peeta was over at Katniss's house, having a play date. They were drawing pictures when Katniss's older brother barged into her room.

"Katniss, Dad wants to see you," her brother said.

"Why does he want to see me Gale?"

"It's a surprise," he said, smiling slightly. Gale was adopted by Katniss's parents before they had Katniss, so he's basically as close to an older brother as she could get. He absolutely loved Katniss and her little sister Prim, who was now close to two years old. Those two girls meant the world to him, and Peeta had a feeling that Gale would be willing to give his life to spare theirs.

Katniss bounded downstairs, with Peeta and Gale right behind her. Peeta remembered nearly tripping over the last step, and Gale catching him before he could face plant on the hard floor.

When Katniss got downstairs, her father was waiting for her with a smile on his face and his arms behind his back. Gale sneaked up behind Katniss and placed his hands on her eyes. Katniss squealed, but didn't struggle against Gale's grip. Peeta giggled.

Mr. Everdeen brought his hands in front of him, and in his arms was the most beautiful bow that Peeta had seen. It was crafted of a dark wood with light accents, and carved into it were the most beautiful and intricate patterns. Peeta sighed at the sight of the beautiful bow, a true work of art. Mr. Everdeen looked at him, and winked, bringing a finger to his lips to tell Peeta to keep quiet. Peeta placed a small chubby hand over his mouth and nodded. Gale slowly took his fingers away from Katniss's eyes, unable to keep the excited smile off his face. Peeta heard a small squeal as Katniss launched herself at her father.

"Thank you Daddy! Thank you Thank you Thank you!" she said excitedly. Her father chuckled.

"Well, you've been pestering me for weeks about not teaching you to hunt, so Gale and I thought we'd take you to the woods," her father said in his deep voice. Katniss grinned her little toothy grin, incomplete due to the recent loss of her two front teeth. They started walking out, and Peeta followed them, until Mr. Everdeen put a hand on his shoulder.

"Peeta, I want to give you something," Mr. Everdeen said, and from behind his back, he took out a parcel. Peeta looked at it curiously, without a single clue of what was inside of it. Mr. Everdeen unwrapped it, and inside was the most beautiful hunting knife Peeta had ever seen. It had intricate designs snaking down the hit, and right next to it was the most beautiful sheath. Peeta continued to stare at it in awe, until Mr. Everdeen spoke.

"If you want to, I can teach you how to hunt," he said. Peeta nodded his head rapidly, almost unable to contain his excitement. Mr. Everdeen chuckled and ruffled Peeta's honey blond hair. They went outside, where Gale was chasing Katniss, and she was squealing, trying to get away from him. Mr. Everdeen laughed and led all three of them to the woods.

Peeta chuckled, remembering this moment. The happiness on Katniss's face, the flutter he felt in his stomach when he saw her. He remembered it all. Memories passed through his head. Growing up with Katniss. Fifth grade graduation, middle school, the eighth grade dance, eighth grade graduation, the first day of freshman year, prom, and graduation. He remembered his growing love for her. He remembered all the memories about her, and continued smiling until he got to the memory of yesterday.

He remembered the call from Gale, who was now one of his best friends. How urgent and broken Gale sounded, how Peeta heard him cry for the first time, and over the phone at that. He remembered the heartbreaking news, the way his heart clenched when he heard it. He remembered crying himself to sleep that night, his sobs echoing through his apartment.

Peeta continued walking down the path, his golden hair glinting in the autumn sunlight. With his looks, he could have any girl he wanted. But he knew his heart belonged to only one girl.

His heart belonged to Katniss Everdeen.

His Huntress.

The girl that was now dying.

**WOOT! And that was the first chapter. I'm going to write the next one soon, based on how much time I have, which isn't a lot. Between midterms coming up and sleeping at one in the morning everyday due to homework, the only time i really have to work on this is on the weekends.**

**So to clear things up, Peeta and Katniss live in District 12, Pennsylvania. They live in a moderatly small town. Peeta has two older brothers, who i will introduce later in this story. Also, Peeta's father and Katniss's mother were school friends, but they grew apart. Peeta's mother is also not as abusive, but she blatantly shows her distaste towards Peeta. There is no discrimination against seam people, and Katniss's father is still alive. Katniss's older adopted brother is Gale, and her little sister is Prim. I was getting really tired of the Peeta vs. Gale thing, so I eliminated it in my story, since that's not the thing which i want to focus on. Rory, Vick, and Posy will show up later, as will Madge. Rory, Vick, and Posy Hawthorne are not related to Gale in this story.**

**I would really appreciate reviews on how this story is going so far. You have no idea how much reveiws boost my confidence, and motivate me to update faster.**

**~Reaper**


	2. Chapter 2: Memories of Better Times

**A/N: the second chapter! I tried finishing this chapter as soon as i could, so i apologize if the grammer is a little off. This chapter mostly contains flashback of their time together, and how Katniss got sick. Oh, and you'll also find out what disease she has.**

**hope you guys like it!**

**Disclaimer: I dont own the hunger games. It belongs to the wizard named Suzanne Collins**

The boy walked into his apartment, his cheeks flushed from the cold, and his eyes bright. He removed his sweater and jacket, and sat down on his couch.

He flipped through the sketchbook that was placed in front of him. Beautiful sceneries stared back at him; a meadow, a beach, a forest, a city. They all varied, but had one thing in common.

The girl.

Each scene had her painted on it. The city picture was a reminder of their trip to New York two summers ago. In the picture, Gale, Prim, and Katniss stood together, smiling and laughing in front of Times Square. The happiness that radiated off this page made the boy smile. He flipped to the next page.

The next page had a picture of a forest on it. The trees were perfectly drawn, the light filtering through their leaves in the late afternoon sun. In the shadows, you could see two people, a girl and a boy. The girl was beautiful, with her long flowing braid and her calculating grey eyes. She was holding a bow with an arrow notched in it, ready to shoot. The boy was standing next to her, his blond hair messy and his blue eyes focused. He was looking in the direction that her arrow pointed his hand up, ready to throw the knife that was clutched in his palm. He remembered that day, when he and Katniss had killed their first Buck. He remembered the pride in her eyes.

Over the years, the boy and the girl had become the perfect hunting partners. They started going to the woods more often after her father died around eight years ago. He was driving back home from work one day, when a big black van jumped a red light, and crashed into his car. He was killed on the spot. Katniss's mother was never the same after that. She became a hollow shadow of herself, unable to care for her children. Since that moment, Gale and Katniss had become the breadwinners for their family. Gale worked a number of part time jobs, while keeping up his grades so that he could be an architect when he was older. He immersed himself in his work to cover up his grief, but Peeta saw the despair that was hidden in Gale's eyes. Peeta too had felt this despair after Mr. Everdeen's death, but at a more muted level. Mr. Everdeen was almost like a second father to the boy. Peeta's own father was often overseas, due to his job with a travel agency, so Peeta didn't see him often. It was only natural for the young boy to feel as if this man was a close to a real father as he could get.

The girl had different ways of dealing with her grief after her father's death. Her demeanor was no longer as happy. She maintained a cold exterior around strangers, which was a stark contrast to how she used to act. The only person outside her family that she let down her walls for was the boy. She could be herself around him. After her father's death, she'd gone to the woods with the boy more often, trying to shoot some extra game so that she could feed her family, and her brother could save up his money for the future. With their silent tread, it worked out pretty well, and the boy often took home a squirrel or two to his family when he still lived with them.

He flipped the page, coming to his favorite picture, the beach. A boy and a girl were sitting in the sand, looking at the sunset. They were drawn from behind. Their hands were linked behind them, and the girl was leaning on the boy's shoulder. Peeta felt a smile grow on his face as he remembered this scene. Last year, Gale had gotten a full scholarship to one of the best architectural colleges in Panem, which was three hours away from where they lived now. He'd saved up an immense amount of money to pay for his college years, as well as Katniss's and Prim's. Since the money he saved up for his college expenses was so great, he decided to use some of it to take all of them to Florida in the summer. Peeta remembered the excitement in little Prim's face when Gale told her that they were going on vacation. Katniss's mother didn't want to come, so Katniss hired Mrs. Hawthorne to help take care of her mother while they were gone. Mrs. Hawthorne was the mother of Rory Hawthorne, who was one of Prim's closest friends. She was small, with a kind smile and cheery demeanor. Katniss immediately trusted this woman to keep her mother in check.

In Florida, they stayed in a hotel overlooking the beach. They all booked a double room for their stay. Katniss and Peeta shared one bed, and Gale and Prim shared the other. Peeta didn't get the slightest feeling of awkwardness at this fact. They'd slept in the same bed quite often ever since they were little. They were seven when he first shared a bed with her. She had invited him for a sleepover at her house. That winter night, they both snuggled together under the blankets, trying to keep in heat. The boy remembered how the girl had wrapped her arms around him and snuggled up into his chest. He remembered how the cold didn't seem so biting anymore now that they were sharing body-heat. He wrapped his chubby arms around her as she wrapped herself up into a ball. When they woke up in the morning, they found two new people under the blankets. Peeta felt a small body nestled into his back, and felt the presence of a larger body beyond that. He smiled when he realized that Katniss's little sister and big brother had come in the middle of the night. He felt like he finally had a family who cared about him. Peeta's own two brothers cared, but in their own crude way, while his mother did nothing to hide her distaste towards him.

He remembered going to the beach on the second day of their vacation. He remembered Prim's high pitched squeal as Gale carried her off towards the water. Katniss laughed, a high melodious sound that made Peeta's heart flutter. That day on the beach was one of the best days of his life. He remembered the sunset. How the beautiful colors bathed Katniss's olive complexion in an orange tone. How calm she looked, leaning onto his shoulder. He remembered them talking.

"It's so beautiful Peeta," Katniss sighed, her face forming a content smile.

"Yeah, it really is. I think I might draw it sometime,"

"You should," Katniss said. They settled into a comfortable silence. Suddenly, Katniss spoke.

"Thank you Peeta," she said with a smile on her face.

"For what?" he asked, confused.

"For sticking with me all this time, no matter what happened. You're my best friend, and I can't help but feel thankful for that,"

"It was the least I could do for the woman I love," the boy said, without realizing it. His eyes widened when he realized what he'd said. The girl stiffened beside him.

"Y-you love me," she stuttered, looking at his face. He blushed a deep scarlet red.

"Yeah, but you don't have to love me back," he said. She looked at his face for a really long time, and smiled.

" I had a feeling we were more than friends," she said, her smile growing wider. The boy's eyes widened, and he smiled. He met her eyes, and suddenly, he was frozen. Her gray eyes seemed to entrance him. She was staring at his eyes with the same expression frozen on her face. They slowly inched closer together, until their faces were a mere inch apart. The boy closed the gap between them, touching his lips to hers as they kissed. It was a sweet kiss, full of longing. They broke apart and looked at eachother.

"That was….amazing. Thank you," she said, touching a hand to her lips. She sat down next to the boy and snuggled up into his side.

"I wish I could freeze this moment right now, and live it forever," he said, wrapping an arm around her.

"Okay," she said contentedly.

"So you'll allow it?"

"Yes,"

They sat a bit longer, staring at the sun until it went down. It was one of the happiest days of the boy's life. He brushed his hands across his lips, remembering the scene. The boy closed his sketchbook. He took out his phone, and checked if he had any messages. Gale said he'd call him today to update Peeta on Katniss's condition. Peeta remembered what happened yesterday.

_It had been a good day. He and Katniss were in the woods, walking side by side, admiring the rainbow of yellows, oranges, and reds. She'd been breathing abnormally recently, and had developed a dry cough, so Peeta was quite reluctant to let her out of the apartment they shared. She insisted that they go out into the woods anyway. He wrapped a protective arm around her, making sure she didn't get cold. They walked for about ten minutes when Katniss started coughing._

"_Are you alright?" he asked her, his concern growing by the second. She was doubled over, coughing._

"_Yeah..*cough* I'm *cough* *cough* just*cough* fine," she said, waving him off. He approached her._

"_Katniss, seriously, we need to go to the hospital. It's obvious that you're sick." He said, putting an arm on her back and leading her back the way they came from. She stiffened suddenly. He was about to ask her what was wrong when she started coughing and puking up blood. He felt panic clench at his heart. Something was seriously wrong._

"_Peeta, I…don't…feel so good," she said after she finished puking. She was pale, and shaky. Her knees started wobbling and he scooped her up before she could fall. Her eyelids were fluttering. Peeta felt claws of panic grip his heart. He started sprinting towards his car, goading Katniss to stay awake. Her eyelids continued to flutter, and though it was around forty degrees outside, she was sweating. Her body felt unnaturally warm. He felt her go limp in his arms._

"_KATNISS!" He yelled desperately, increasing his speed._

_When they got to the car, Peeta lay her in the backseat and drove like a madman. They arrived in the hospital in five minutes. He picked her up off the backseat, and sprinted in, calling for help. A couple of nurses wheeled a stretcher in, and he placed Katniss on it, blood still leaking from the corner of her lips. He helped them wheel the stretcher down to the ER, and was about to go in when a nurse stopped him._

"_You can't go in there sir," she said, holding his arm._

"_But…I have to be there for her!" he yelled in a desperate voice, trying to work his arm out of her grip. He was almost free when he felt another nurse grip his other arm._

"_You can't go in there stupid, they're trying to figure out what's wrong with her," came a familiar biting voice. He looked over to see one of his former classmates, Johanna Mason, gripping his arm. He remembered that she was working part-time as a nurse now._

"_Come on brainless, I'll lead you to the waiting area," she said, her tone softening slightly. He slumped over in defeat and followed her. She led him to a row of empty Plastic chairs, and told him to sit down. He heard her walk away, but didn't care to know where. All he could think about was the girl in the operating room; The girl who owned his heart. He heard footsteps approaching him._

"_So, what happened to her?" Johanna asked, sitting down next to him. Peeta didn't respond. He was focused on controlling his tears. He wanted to scream and cry. He felt like sobbing in agony. His face was scrunched up, trying to control his emotions._

"_You can cry Peeta, it's alright to cry once in a while," she said in a soft voice. She started rubbing his back. Peeta tried to contain his emotions, but couldn't. He burst out crying. Tears streamed down his face as he sobbed openly, burying his face in his hands and pulling his messy blonde hair back. All he could think about was Katniss._

"_I called her brother, and her little sister," Johanna whispered. The boy didn't respond, sobs wracking his body. He couldn't help but feel as if this was his fault. If only he'd been a bit more adamant about her staying home, none of this would have happened._

_About fifteen minutes later, his sobs quieted down to sniffling. Johanna had left after a nurse said she was needed someone. She gave him a quick hug before she left._

"_She's a fighter, she'll get through this," she whispered in his ear, and left._

_The boy now heard the scampering of small feet coming down the hallway. He saw a flash of blonde hair and felt someone throw themselves at him._

"_Is she alright! Oh my god what happened? Johanna called me and said Katniss was in the hospital, so I came down here right away!," Prim said all in one breath. Peeta quieted himself down, and cleared his throat._

"_We-were in the woods and….." he said, gasping slightly from sobbing so much. Prim looked at him, panic in her small blue eyes, as he told her what happened. At the end of the story, she started crying. The boy put an arm around her, and soothed her, much as Johanna had done to him earlier. He felt himself calm down a bit. He needed to be strong. Katniss was going to get through this, whatever was wrong with her will be fixed._

_He sat with Prim for another two hours before Gale arrived, out of breath and hysterical._

"_WHERE'S MY BABY SISTER!" he asked in his booming voice. A nurse rushed up to him, trying to calm him down. She calmly explained that Katniss was in surgery. The hysteria in Gale's eyes sent shivers down Peeta's spine. He looked like a madman, with his messy dark hair sticking up and his glasses off kilter. The nurse said a few more things to Gale, and that seemed to quiet him down enough. She pointed to the waiting area. Gale sat next to Prim, taking off his glasses and burying his face in his hands, mirroring Peeta's pose. Prim climbed onto her big brother's lap and started crying. Gale held her close, not willing to let her go._

_They waited like this for hours, until a doctor came by. He introduced himself as Doctor Aurelius._

"_Are you Katniss Everdeen's family?" he asked calmly. We all nodded. The Doctor looked down at his clipboard and frowned._

"_Well, it only says that Mr. Gale Everdeen, Ms. Primrose Everdeen, and Mrs. Sangria Rosemary Everdeen are immediate family members. They are allowed to stay," Doctor Aurelius stated. He looked at Peeta. "I'm sorry young man, but you will have to leave for the night."_

_The boy stared at the Doctor. He sighed heavily and slowly got up, until someone yanked him back down again._

"_No," Gale said icily through gritted teeth, " he may not be family, but he's her boyfriend. He stays."_

_Doctor Aurelius looked unfazed. "I'm sorry Mr. Everdeen, but this is standard hospital protocol. Only immediate family members are allowed to stay. All others must leave."_

_The boy looked over at Gale, and realized that this was about to get out of hand. Before Gale could say another word, he got up._

"_It's fine Gale, I'll leave. Just call me as soon as anything happens," he said, looking at the girl's older brother. The brother nodded. Peeta left, feeling as if broken glass were cutting up his heart._

_He didn't eat that evening. He just lay on his bed, and stared at the ceiling. Around 10:00 at night, he got a call from the girl's brother._

_The boy learned that she had _Streptococcus Pneumonia_, which was a deadly disease that attacked your lungs. It often killed people within the month, unless treated in its early stages. Gale gave him all the details over the phone, his voice cracking every few moments. As soon as Peeta put down the phone, tears sprang to his eyes. _

_He cried himself to sleep that night, silently praying that they could cure Katniss. He felt sick to his stomach, broken inside. His girl was in danger of dying, and there was nothing he could do about it._

The boy snapped out of his flashback as the phone rang. He gasped a little, trying to catch his breath. The phone rang once more and Peeta picked it up. He read the caller ID and saw Gale's name. The shakily put the device to his ear, fearing the worst.

"Peeta, come to the hospital. Katniss wants to see you."

**Woot! so what did you guys think? I was kinda shaky on this chapter, so it might not make sense at parts. I tried my best.**

**WOW! five reviews within one day! I've never gotten that many on a single day, much less for a single chapter which i half-assed. You guys are amazing.**

**oh, and shoutout to OpalStars for her great advice on how to improve my story. You guys should check out her stories. They're really good.**

**Oh, and Opal, i will forever be squiggling ~(-.-)~ ~(-.-)~ ~(-.-)~**

**~Reaper**


	3. Chapter 3: Visiting and Imagination

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

The boy rushed to the hospital, not caring that he was going above the speed limit. All that mattered to him was the girl. He reached the hospital and stepped out of his car, sprinting to the entrance of the building.

A nurse escorted him towards the girl's room. He stood near the door, not knowing what to do. He didn't know what state she was in. A billion images flashed through his mind, and he shook his head, desperately trying to clear it. He took a deep breath, and walked in.

The girl was on the bed, sleeping peacefully. An oxygen mask decorated her face, and she was hooked up to an IV. The boy felt hot tears seep out of the corners of his eyes. He couldn't bear to see her like this.

He walked over to her bedside, and sat down on the chair that was there. He took her hand and started massaging circles onto it. He would always do this to calm her down whenever something was wrong. He looked at her face, which was pale. Her beautiful dark hair lay around her head like a halo. The boy sighed, and brought her hand gently up to his lips, placing a kiss on her ring finger, where an engagement ring lay. A matching ring decorated his own finger. He remembered the day he asked her.

_They had graduated the month before, leaving their old high school and old life behind. Right now, they were searching for a suitable apartment that the two of them could share. They searched house after house, finally coming to the perfect apartment. It was average, with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen. It seemed pretty normal to the boy, but the girl fell in love with it. They moved into the apartment the next week._

_ The boy was busy painting her bedroom, trying to replicate the forest. He knew how much she loved the forest. He was trying to replicate the cabin by the lake, where the girl's father used to take them when they were younger. He had already painted his own room, which showed the meadow where they grew up, with the sunset in the background. Just as he was adding the finishing touches to the girl's room, she burst in through the door, holding a large paintbrush in her hands._

"_I'm done with the living ro-" she managed to say, before staring in awe at the scene in front of her. Her mouth dropped open slightly. The boy chuckled, running a hand through his messy blonde curls._

"_Peeta…" she said tentatively, "What is this?"_

_The smile dropped off of the boy's face. "She doesn't like the painting," he thought to himself. He sighed._

"_It's the cabin by the woods. I can paint over it if you don't like it," he said a bit sadly. She just looked at him. Before he could comprehend what was happening, she launched herself into his arms, and her lips were on his. His eyes widened in shock, before he started kissing her back. They broke away, panting. Her eyes were shiny with tears._

"_Peeta….this is beautiful. Thank You," she said, drawing him into a hug. "I love you," she whispered into his ear. The boy hugged her back. A rush of confidence went through him, as he pulled away from her. He felt that this was the perfect time to do what he'd wanted to do since graduation. _

"_I'll be right back," he told her, and entered his own room. He opened the bedside drawer, and took out the small black box. He returned to her room, where her hands were skimming over the parts of the wall that had dried. He cleared his throat, and as she turned around, he dropped onto one knee and held out both of his hands, enclosing the box between them._

"_Katniss, I've known you since we were five years old. I've grown up with you, gone on adventures with you, done practically everything with you. I've loved everything about you, your voice, your hair, your attitude, your bravery, your fiery disposition. You've been my best friend for years, and always stuck with me through thick and thin. I've spent most of my life with you, and I want to spend the rest of it with you as well. So I'm going to ask you one thing, my beautiful Huntress. Katniss Everdeen, will you marry me?"_

_He opened the box, revealing a small silver ring with a pearl embedded into it. The girl put her hands to her mouth, her eyes glistening. For the second time that day, she launched herself into his arms and kissed him. "Yes," she whispered against his lips, and that was all the answer he needed._

It had been two months since that incident. He'd asked Gale for permission even before he bought the ring, and the older boy was almost giddy with happiness at the thought of his best friend marrying his little sister.

He continued stroking her hand, until he heard something shift higher on the bed. He looked up to see her looking at him, her gray eyes tired but full of life. He felt tears shift out of his eyes as his face erupted in a tired but happy smile. Her hand reached up and stroked his cheek, and he leaned into her palm, relishing her warm touch.

The door burst open as Prim and Gale walked in, trays filled with food occupying their arms. They were chatting amiably, but their talking ceased as they saw the pair near the bed. They quickly put their trays down and walked over to the bed. Gale sat down in one of the chairs, and Prim perched at the foot of the bed, careful not to accidently sit on any of the equipment or Katniss. Katniss's hand dropped from Peeta's face. All three of them looked at her, until Gale reached up to smooth a strand of hair that was laying on her face. The girl's eyes were glazed over a bit, and she seemed half-asleep. Gale got up.

"Peeta, do you mind watching her for a little bit? I need to take Prim home" Gale said. Prim opened her mouth to protest, but Gale kept talking, "She can't stay in the hospital for too long, so I'm going to leave her with Mrs. Hawthorne and Rory,"

At the mention of Rory, Prim blushed and followed her brother out of the door. Peeta felt a smile grow on his face watching Prim's actions. "Little Primmy is growing up," he muttered. Peeta realized that she was now fourteen years old. He looked at Katniss and found her staring at the door where the two had left.

"How are you feeling," the boy asked her, stroking her cheek. She leaned into his hand.

"Like hell swallowed me and decided to spit me out," she replied hoarsely. Everything about her seemed…..dulled. Her skin was a bit more sallow, her eyes were cloudy, and her face was pale. The boy stroked her hair back. She placed one of her small, slender hands on top of his, and with her other hand, she reached up and started stroking the small hairs on the nape of his neck. The boy's eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Why?" he asked her, blinking his eyes profusely. The girl looked up at him with a confused expression. "Why did it have to be you?"

The girl had no answer to this question. She sighed.

"I'm so tired Peeta, I just want to sleep," she said, her eyelids drooping. He got up.

"I'll go sit on the bench so that you can sleep," he said, gesturing to the plush hospital bench that was right underneath the window. The girl grabbed his wrist.

"Stay with me," she said, patting the space next to her. He smiled slightly, then lay down next to her, careful as to not disturb her IV. He enveloped her in his strong embrace, and she snuggled into his warmth. He imagined a future with her, where she would lay in his arms like this every day.

_He imagined a warm house, right next to the woods, where she could hunt. He imagined baking things for her every day, making her favorite cheese buns for her whenever she was sad. He imagined holding her close every night when they slept. He imagined having a family with her. He imagined their kids, two boys and two girls. He imagined two of them with her hair and his eyes, and the other two with his hair and her eyes. He imagined watching their children grow up, and teaching them all there is to learn about the world. He imagined their children leaving, smiles on their faces as they set out to discover the world. He imagined spending years with Katniss, dancing every afternoon, sleeping under the stars, holding her safely in his embrace, where nothing could happen to her. He imagined their grandchildren. He imagined growing old with Katniss. He couldn't spend his life without her._

_He imagined a future with her._

He closed his eyes, and planted a kiss on the top of her head. Even after all this time, he was astounded at the way her body fit so perfectly into the curve of his, as if they were meant to be this way. She brought her arms up so that they were laying on his chest, and he placed an arm around her. She placed her head on his forearm, using it as a pillow. The boy sighed gently, forgetting all the worries of the moment, and instead focusing on the girl in his arms. He felt himself zoning out.

"Peeta," she whispered, calling his name and shaking him out of his stupor. He looked down at her.

"Mmmhmmm?"

"How long do you think I have left to live?"

**And so I leave you with Peeta stuck between a Rock and a hard place. He doesn't know if he wants to answer her honestly, or sugercoat things.**

**Okay, so I've been trying to cope with midterms while writing this fanfic, so I profusely apologize for any grammatical errors you may find. I am also extremelly sorry if some parts dont make sense. I'm gettin around six hours of sleep a night, and I'm about to pass out anyday now from sheer exhaustion.**

**So I may not update by next weekend. I'll try to, but if I dont, I am extremelly sorry. I promise I'll make it up to you guys by updating a storm during winter break.**

**I'm also sorry that this chapter is so short. I'll try to make it longer next time, but I was kinda going slow with this chapter, since I really didn't know how to write his visit to the hospital.**

**Expect more sadness soon. Dont worry, the squiggle bros will be right by your side to console you. ~(-.- )~~(-.-)~~( -.-)~**

**~Reaper**


	4. Chapter 4: Nightmares and Promises

**A very important character will be intoduced in this painfully short chapter. Apologies about the length of this**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games, or I would make it my sole duty to make sure Finnick survived and Gale's ending wasn't full of sad poo.**

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**"_Darlin, if I could I'd hold you forever,_**

**_but to me_**

**_Forever is not enough"_**

* * *

Her words reverberated in his ears as his blood ran cold.

"How long do you think I have left to live?"

He had no honest answer to that question. How long did he hope she would live? If the boy had his way, he would make sure that the girl lived forever. But he didn't have his way, and he hated lying to her.

So he told her the honest answer.

"Katniss, I won't lie to you,"

"I know"

"The doctors said you would live for…..another month. Unless we're lucky. I don't want you to leave Katniss, I want you to keep on fighting."

"I will"

Her short answers broke his heart. Tears ran down his cheeks as he clutched her close, and buried his face in her neck. She smelled like pine and fresh air, courtesy of the woods. He inhaled her scent, memorizing it. He felt her stroking his hair, burying her hand in his curls. He clutched her to him, feeling as if he could keep her if he held her tight enough. They whispered calming words to eachother, trying to console one another as tears ran down their cheeks.

They continued their embrace until the nurse came in. Her small slight form was able to slip through the door with ease, not disturbing any of the patients. Her blonde curls were tied back in a ponytail, and she looked highly conservative. She looked at them embracing on the bed and sighed.

"Visiting hours are over sir, I'm afraid you'll have to leave," she said, sighing gently. The boy looked up at her.

"You said visiting hours were only for non-family members," he said.

"I'm afraid I don't have you on the list sir. It says that the only immediate family members here are Ms. Primrose Everdeen, Mr. Gale Everdeen, and Mrs. Lilac Everdeen."

"I'm her fiancé"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me right. I'm Katniss Everdeen's fiancé, Peeta Mellark," He said, lifting up their intertwined hands to show her the two rings. Something in the nurse's eyes softened.

"Well, fiancés don't usually count, but I'm willing to make an exception Mr. Mellark. I'm Katniss's nurse, and I feel as if she could use the comfort. I'll contact the office and tell them to make an exception." She said softly. She started writing something down on her chart.

"Thank you Miss….." Peeta began, but paused realizing he didn't know her name. She looked up and smiled at him.

"Undersee. Ms. Undersee, but I see you're going to be here a lot, so you may call me Madge,"

"Thank you Madge,"

"You're welcome , now try to get some rest, and contact me if anything is wrong with Katniss,"

"Will do," he said, looking down at the sleeping form curled up into his chest. He smiled down at her after Madge left and the door closed, and placed a small kiss on her temple. He felt his eyelids droop, as he welcomed sleep.

He awoke to screaming.

A penetrating scream hit the boy's ears, as he bolted up in bed. The girl was thrashing feverently, sweat beading on her forehead. Her blood curdling screams lit up the room, making the boy break out in a cold sweat. He grabbed her shoulders gently, and shook them.

"Katniss, get up, you're safe. It's just a dream baby, just a dream, nothing will happen to you!" he yelled, shaking her shoulders a bit more vigorously now. Her eyes snapped open, as she gazed around in shock for a moment, before burying her head in his chest. He felt her tears soak his shirt, but he didn't care the least. The entirety of the situation hit him in full force. No matter how healthy Katniss seemed, in a month or so, she would be gone. She would be dead, unless some miracle took place. His own tears mingled with hers, as he rested his head on top of hers, holding her close. Her hands fisted the fabric at the front of his shirt, crumpling it. He cried, allowing his tears to flow freely.

After half an hour or so, their tears succumbed to whimpers, as they lay there, clutching eachother close. The boy felt a soft hand come up to his face, and leaned into its touch. The girl traced the contours of his face, his cheekbones, his nose, his mouth. He felt her finger pause at the edge of his mouth, as his eyes opened, and were met with startling grey ones. They stared at eachother for a few moments, before her lips came crashing down onto his. They clutched at eachother, kissing as if there was no tomorrow. They broke only for air, and fell back onto the sheets. She cuddled into his chest, her eyes still wet with tears. He clutched her close, and fell asleep.

They woke up late the next morning, their eyes painfully swollen from crying the previous night. The boy gazed at the girl, taking in her features. Her soft lips, her fluttering lashes, the way her hair fanned out around her now that the doctors had cut it short. It now only reached a few inches past her shoulders. He stroked the soft strands, relishing their feel. She raised a small hand to the curls around his forehead, curling them around her fingers. He enjoyed her touch. She was small, slender, and his body fit around hers like a puzzle piece. They were meant to be. He realized that moment, that he would go to the ends of the earth to make sure they spent the rest of their life together.

"I love you Katniss," he muttered sleepily, his eyes already drooping shut once more. A smile graced the girls lips, as she responded.

"Love you too Peeta," she replied

* * *

**So there you have it, a new character, Madge Undersee, Katniss's personal nurse. She'll play a huge role later on, especially when Gale comes by. I'm a huge Gadge shipper, but I'm sorry to tell you, there will be only slight Gadge in this story, and only in minute amounts. No kissing, furative looks, feelings, or anything. But I assure you, Made will be important as this story progresses.**

**Also, In the next chapter, I'm introducing two other characters. One of them will be Rory Hawthorne. Can you guess the other?**

**Sorry about the extremelly short chapter after such a long time. Its been two weeks since I updated! ahhhh! Im sorry I couldnt update last weekend, but last week was midterms week, and im not letting my GPA go down for a fanfic.**

**Anyway, sorry about the short chapter, I tried typing it as fast as I can, which results in the weird way its written. Plus my relatives were over, so time's been cut excessivly short.**

**I'll try updating as much as I can during the holidays.**

**~Reaper**


	5. Chapter 5: The Brother and His Past

**A/N: okay, sorry about the delay. I had relatives over all week, and not much time.**

**This chapter is mostly focused on Gale, and mostly a filler type chapter.**

**Happy New Year!**

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_The past determines who we will become in the future_

_~Anonymous_

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Once, long ago, he was happy and carefree. There was a time long ago when he acted his age, when he didn't have to grow up to soon.

As time came to pass as the brother learned what hardship was. He learned that life didn't always go the direction he wanted it to, no matter how hard he tried.

_The two adults hurried to the orphanage, pulling their raincoats around them as big heavy drops rained down. The dark haired man opened the door for the Blonde woman, and stepped inside with her. They shook off their raincoats, and smiled, their grins filled with anticipation. They had called the orphanage a week earlier, and scheduled an appointment to see the children, and get to spend time with a few so that they could decide who they had wanted to adopt. They had tried for children several times, but to no avail. The couple had then decided to adopt._

_Two boys walked up to them. One looked around six or seven years old. He had dark blonde hair and green eyes. The younger one looked around three years old, and tottered unsteadily behind. He too had blonde hair, but in a lighter shade, and blue eyes. _

"_Here, let me get those for you," the older one said, reaching out a hand for their coats. The man and woman smiled at him._

"_Oh, its fine, we can get them. You don't have to put them away for us," the woman said kindly._

"_Oh, no, there's no problem. My mommy said that's my job, to say hello to people when they come in. She works at the desk," he said. He held out his chubby little hand. "Hi, my name's Jacob, but you can call me Jake. This is my little brother Ryden, but everyone calls him Rye," he said, gesturing down at the little boy, who was looking up at them with wide eyes, and clutching his older brother's hand. The man and woman handed their coats gently to Jacob and Rye, and watched as they hung them up on the coat rack that was resting near the far wall. Jake and Rye then started walking towards another hallway. The man and woman followed them._

_After turning the hallway, they came upon a reception desk. A tired looking woman sat behind the desk, but her eyes lit up slightly when she saw the couple._

"_Ah, and you must be the Everdeens!" she said, smiling slightly. She extended her hand out. "My name is Mrs. Mellark, but you can call me Priscilla. I'll be helping you around the orphanage."_

"_Ah, you must be Jake and Rye's mother," the woman said, shaking Mrs. Mellark's hand. "I'm Lilac, and this is my husband, Andrew. It's nice to meet you,"_

"_Nice to meet you too Lilac. Now before I take you around the orphanage, I'd like to know if there is a specific age range you would like,"_

_Lilac looked hesitantly at her husband. He looked back at Mrs. Mellark._

"_We're looking for a toddler, someone around the range of one to three years old,"_

_Mrs. Mellak nodded, and wrote something down on a clipboard. She then got up, and beckoned for them to follow her on the path to the floor where the toddlers stayed. Along the way, they managed some small talk._

"_So Priscilla, how many children do you have?" Mrs. Everdeen asked, curious to know if Rye and Jake had any siblings._

"_Oh, only two, Jake and Rye, and another one on the way," she said, patting her slightly protruding belly. "I'm about five months along,"_

"_Oh, congratulations," Mr. Everdeen piped up, as Mrs. Mellark smiled._

"_I'm hoping it's a girl. I really don't know what I would do if I had another boy."_

_Finally, after about ten minutes, they arrived at the toddler area. Mrs. Mellark opened the door, and was immediately assaulted by about ten little kids gripping onto her legs. She let out a surprised laugh as a few more children bounded up to the Everdeen's, who looked a little shocked but happy nonetheless._

"_Come on kids, give them some space," came a voice from inside, and all the little toddlers let go of them and went back into the playroom. They stepped inside the door of the playroom. A young woman came up to them, a baby in her arms and a toddler clutching onto her legs._

"_You must be the Everdeen's. Hello, my name's Portia and I take care of these young un's. I would shake your hand, but I have my hands full right now, so please excuse the lack of courtesy," she said, smiling. The Everdeen's just chuckled, and looked around the room. It was huge, almost as large as a warehouse. It spanned the whole floor, and there were toddlers everywhere, playing with the toys, sliding down the miniature indoor playset, sleeping in the small playroom bunks in the corner. The room was separated into three sections, one for the babies, one for the two to three year olds, and one for the four year olds. _

"_Okay, so I'll let Portia lead you around. Come back and tell me if you have chosen a child. If not, we can schedule another appointment," Mrs. Mellark said, taking the baby from Portia. The baby stirred, but did not wake. The Everdeen's nodded at her, as Portia led them to the two to three year old area. _

"_Now it says here that you're searching for a one to three year old. I'm gonna let you meet the two and three year olds," she said, opening the childproofed gate that separated the older children from the cribs where the babies were kept. A couple of children looked at her, but none really made a move to come over._

_Portia introduced them to some of the more excitable children. There were some that stuck out to the Everdeen's, such as Thom, with his gentle personality and pitch black hair, and Reyna, who everyone affectionately called Foxface, and her bright red hair, green eyes, and sneaky personality. There were also the ones they would definitely not adopt, such as Cornelius Snow, the albino boy who walked around with a water gun, and pulled the other children's hair, and Seneca Crane, who seemed innocent at first, but was a generally nasty boy._

_Just as the Everdeen's were about to leave to schedule another appointment for another time, they were met by a whimpering in the corner of the room. They went over, and saw a small boy hiding behind the crates, crying and whimpering quietly. Portia came over to see what's was the matter._

"_Gale, what are you doing back there? What's wrong?" Portia asked the young boy gently, picking him up and holding him on her hip. He rubbed his eyes and looked at her._

"_Sn-ow, b-b-bwocks," he whimpered. Portia looked over to the play area, where Snow had moved on to another victim. She sighed when she saw the pile of discarded blocks in the corner, scattered everywhere, and started rubbing the boy's hair gently, while he leaned his small head on her shoulder._

"_Well, who is this?" Andrew Everdeen asked, looking at the young boy with a smile._

"_This is Gale Philips. He was dropped off here last month, after his parents passed away. He just turned two last week, and Snow has made him his personal victim,"_

_The young boy sniffled, and looked at the Everdeen's with his big gray eyes. His dark hair was wild, all over the place, and his olive skin almost perfectly matched Andrew Everdeen's. Lilac Everdeen came forward, and held out her hand._

"_Hello Gale, my name is Mrs. Everdeen. How about we go fix your blocks together?" she asked in a soothing voice. The small boy smiled toothily, all traces of tears gone. His baby teeth were tiny, but his smile was contagious. Portia put him down, and he toddled over to the blocks._

_The next hour was spent with the Everdeen's playing with young Gale. He played around with the blocks, and hugged both Mr. and Mrs. Everdeen when they helped him restore his little block structure. Gale had a knack for building things, so as soon as he was done with one block structure, he moved onto another. The Everdeen's warmed up to this little boy, and by the end of the night, he had won over the couple's hearts._

_Gale was adopted by the Everdeen's three weeks after they met him. He loved them instantly, calling them "mommy" and "daddy" the day they brought him home._

_A month after Gale was adopted, Lilac Everdeen found out she was pregnant._

Gale walked out of the hospital, dragging Prim along behind him while she protested loudly. She quieted herself once she realized it was no use. Her brother was not about to let her go. The little girl sighed, wrenched her hand out of her brother's grip, and stomped to the truck angrily. Her brother hurried along after her.

"For petes sake Prim! Why won't you understand that this is for your own good?" Gale asked her, a hint of exasperation imminent in his voice.

"Why? Gale, are you seriously asking me why the fuck I want to stay at the hospital with my sick sister?!" Prim replied, her voice cracking in the middle of her sentence. She could feel tears starting to form as she angrily rubbed her eyes with her palms. The entirety of the situation was just beginning to hit her, and she felt at the verge of a breakdown. She quickly opened the door of the truck and slammed it as hard as she could once she got inside, completely ignoring the shocked look on Gale's face. He quickly recovered and sat down in the driver's seat.

The drive to Rory's house was quiet and awkward. Both siblings shifted uncomfortably around in their seats, the silence bearing down on them. Neither of them made a move to speak to one another, Prim being furious at her brother and Gale being shocked that his sweet little sister lost her temper and cussed.

As the beat up Truck pulled up in the driveway, a small dark haired girl rushed out of the Hawthorne residence. She stood outside of Prim's window, waving, while her two older brothers walked out of the house slowly. Prim slowly opened the door, trying to paste a smile on her face but miserably failing. After contorting her face a few times, she gave up. She opened the door, and walked out.

"Hey Posy, what's up?" Prim asked the young girl. Nine year old Posy Hawthorne grinned toothily.

"Nothing Prim, just playing video games with Vick," she said, gesturing to her twelve year old brother who was now at the porch, watching them with disinterest. He waved a quick hello and ducked back inside.

Prim got out of the car slowly, and followed Posy up the driveway to where Rory was waiting. His expression was solemn, and his arms were wide open, beckoning her to come in for a hug. She silently walked up to him, and held on tight as he petted her hair, and whispered soothing things in her ear.

Gale walked up to Rory, and dropped Prims bags there, nodding at the younger boy. "Take care of her, or I will personally see to it that your carcass is disposed somewhere where nobody can find it," he whispered to him, and Rory chuckled slightly.

"Will do," he said, waving to Gale. Prim turned her tear streaked face back to her brother, and smiled slightly before buying it back into Rory's chest.

Gale walked down the driveway, towards his car. He trusted Rory to take care of Prim, and Peeta to take care of Katniss. As much as he wanted to be with his two little sisters, he had college to attend, and a degree to earn. He knew it was the only way he could take care of them in the future.

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**okay, there's the end of another chapter. Sorry about the delay again. My six year old and three year old nephews came to visit, and its really hard to type when there's a little three year old bouncing on your legs and asking you to take him outside for a snowball fight.**

**anyway, this was basically a filler chapter. I'm gonna dive back into the plot next chapter.**

**and also, I've introduced Mrs. Mellark. She originally worked at the orphanage, while her husband worked at the bakery. She was a sweet kind woman before Peeta was born. As much as she dislike's Peeta, she's not abusive, as she is in the books. She also has a soft spot for Prim and Katniss, who are the closest she can get to daughters. She'll be introduced more in depth in the next chapter.**

**Hope you guys liked it! I'll try to add another chapter before my Winter-break ends. Happy Holidays!**

**~Reaper**


	6. Chapter 6: The Little Sister

**A/N: Guess who got another chapter up by the end of the week. Yeah thats right, this gal.**

**OOOhhhhh, dang. You guys are going to hate me for this chapter.**

**This chapter is mostly Prim-Centric**

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The little sister walked into the Hawthorne residence.

She had always been welcome here, and it was almost like a second home to her. Rory Hawthorne carried her bags up to his room, where there was a second bed that Vick had vacated years before, but nobody had cared to move out of Rory's room. Whenever Prim stayed for the night at the Hawthorne's, she always took this bed.

Prim and Rory had known eachother ever since they were three years old, and met in daycare. They were playing with the dollhouse, Prim with the Barbie dolls and Rory with the toy soldiers. They became friends almost immediately, and have been ever since. They grew up together, much as Katniss and Peeta had. Posy Hawthorne looked up to Prim as an older sister, and nothing less.

So when the time came, it was the Hawthorne's that provided Prim with the most comfort and reassurance. Her brother allowed her a bit of solace, but not much, due to the fact that he had other things on his hands at the moment. Peeta was always kind to her, but his love for Katniss was deeper than his affection for Prim.

Prim sat down on the Hawthorne's couch. Her eyes felt puffy and stung from crying. Rory sat next to her and looked at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, smiling slightly. Prim looked at him and mustered up a weak smile. Her eyes flashed to his chest, where a huge wet spot currently presided. Prim's eyes widened.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" She said. "I ruined your shirt! Let me go get a napkin," she said, hurrying towards the kitchen. She grabbed a paper towel and hurried back to Rory, who just looked at her and smiled slightly. She dabbed at the front of his shirt, trying to erase the wet spot

"Hey, it's no problem, really," Rory laughed as Prim grumbled at her failed efforts. He grabbed her wrists as she started rubbing the area on his shirt violently. "Prim, it's just salt water, I can wash it,"

Prim looked up at him, her eyes wet , and Rory's playful demeanor went away instantly. He gathered her in his arms as she began to cry again.

"I-I'm sorry, I've just been so on edge since Katniss got sick. I don't know what to do with my feelings anymore,"

"Shhhh, it's alright. Katniss is strong, she'll get through it," Rory said, rubbing her hair much as he had done before. Prim's sobs wracked through her body, as she clutched onto to Rory for dear life, trembling. And while hugging him, Prim couldn't shake the comfort she was feeling in his embrace, or how good it felt to have someone to turn to when things took a turn for the worst.

"Prim! Prim get up!"

Rory's insistent yelling woke her up. She opened her eyes to see Rory's face only inches from hers, as he grabbed her shoulders and shook her awake. She got up slowly.

"Rory? What's wrong?" she asked, a sense of dread pooling at the pit of her stomach.

"Get your clothes on; we need to go to the hospital! Peeta called us over! He said to get there as soon as we could," Rory said. He paused, contemplating whether or not he should finish his statement, " I hate to tell you this Prim, but it sounds bad. Peeta sounded like he was breaking down."

Prim's baby blue eyes widened drastically as she jumped out of bed and grabbed her clothes. She ran to the bathroom to change. Within a minute, so was back out again, facing Rory, who was putting on his shirt. Just as he got the shirt over his head she grabbed his hand, and sprinted downstairs where Gale was waiting for them, a cup of coffee in his hand. Gale looked like hell. His clothes were rumpled, and dark circles stretched underneath his eyes. His hair was tousled around messily. He looked like he hadn't had a good night's sleep since he dropped Prim off three days ago.

Wordlessly, they ran to his truck. Prim squished into the second seat with Rory, and they took off, Gale driving faster than he'd ever driven, adrenaline pumping. The ride was silent, and charged with a feeling of dread, as the occupants let their imaginations wander as to what could have happened.

They pulled up to the hospital and wordlessly ran inside. Gale went up to the front desk.

"WHERE'S MY BABY SISTER!?" he screamed at the nurse at the front desk, who cringed slightly. She had red hair and green eyes, and Gale was struck by the feeling that he'd seen this girl somewhere before. She said a few things to pacify Gale, but they only infuriated him more as he began screaming at her. Suddenly, he stopped as a gentle hand was placed on his arm.

"Are you Katniss Everdeen's brother, Gale Everdeen?" said the voice of Madge Undersee, as she calmly stared him down. He looked at her, eyebrows furrowed, and nodded.

"Well, if you are, I think it's best if you come with me," she said, leading them off. The girl at the front desk started to protest, but Madge cut her off. "Reyna, I think we'll be fine," she said, and the redhead nodded and went back to work. Madge quickly led Gale, Prim and Rory down the hallway to the ICU.

"Now Gale, I want you to promise me you won't panic. You too Prim, and you too…..er…who are you?"

"Rory Hawthorne," Rory said slowly. Madge nodded.

"Okay, I want all of you to stay calm. Katniss is in a…..bad state right now. If you guys do anything drastic, it might hurt her,"

All three of them felt sick when Madge said these words. They continued following her silently.

Prim's eyes widened as they walked towards the ICU. Cold claws gripped at her heart, and she started to tremble slightly. Rory placed a hand on her shoulder, steadying her.

The first things they heard when they walked through the doors of the ICU were Peeta's sobs.

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***ducks as readers throw bricks at her***

**Sorry bout' the cliffy guys. I know how much you hate those *smirks***

**Okay, I'll leave you guys to ponder what has Peeta so distressed. I'll try to get up another chapter within the end of my winter break, which ends on Jan.7, which is my first day of school.**

**Cya'll later.**

**~Reaper**


	7. Chapter 7: Come Back To Me

**_A/N: Only one more chapter and then the epilogue! You guys will like this chapter, but most of you will hate the next one._**

**_Thanks for sticking with me this long!_**

**_Cant believe this is almost over! It was good while it lasted. *gross sobbing*_**

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**_Disclaimer: I dont own the hunger games, or there would be more than three books._**

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**_Written while listening to :_**

**_Wonderland by Natalia Kills_**

**_Ever After by Marianas Trench_**

* * *

_Prim's eyes widened as they walked towards the ICU. Cold claws gripped at her heart, and she started to tremble slightly. Rory placed a hand on her shoulder, steadying her._

_The first things they heard when they walked through the doors of the ICU were Peeta's sobs._

The boy was sobbing in the corner. His face was in his hands, and his tears were dripping down his neck, into his shirt, onto the floor. He breathed heavily, gasping for breath every time he sobbed.

It had been so sudden. One moment, she was kissing him and laughing, and the next; she was gasping for breath, and turning blue.

The boy had immediately called the doctor, and they wheeled her down to the emergency room. The doctors had prohibited him from entering the ER, so he sat outside, his sobs echoing down the hallway, his hands grasping at his hair, trying to fight off his treacherous thoughts of her dying.

He must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knows, he's being shaken awake by a doctor. The doctor has a grave look on his face, and the boy's heart gallops, his hands turning icy as his mind came up with the worst case scenario.

"You can see her now," the doctor said, leading Peeta to a room at the end of the hallway. He walked in, and the boy followed, his emotions in turmoil.

When he entered the room, his heart nearly stopped.

There, lying on the bed was his fiancée, the girl. Her skin was pale, a sharp contrast from the olive it used to be. There were multiple machines hooked up to her, far more than before. Her oxygen mask was slightly foggy, and incredibly large on her face, and her heartbeat resounded from the machine in the corner.

The sight broke his heart utterly. He covered his mouth and shook his head, tears flowing down his face once more. He took a seat in the chair next to her bed, holding her pale hand, running one of his fingers along the ring.

The doctor stepped forward. "Earlier, after we took her into the ER, we found out that she had a collapsed lung. The disease spread to the lung walls, making them weak. She's in a coma right now ."

The boy's world came crashing down. His eyes glazed over, as he stared at her, remembering a time when he was in this situation, so close to death.

_It was the night of Peeta's 16__th__ birthday. A friend decided to throw a party for him, so they spent the night partying, enjoying themselves. Apparently, someone had spiked the punch, so there were drunken highschoolers all over the place, acting stupid and tipsy. Peeta and Katniss themselves were drunk, which led to some very inappropriate touching. Gale was up in the bedroom, doing unspeakable things._

_The night wore on, and they all hung out, until Prim called them and told them to come home. The three teenagers walked clumsily to the car, giggling like little kids. Gale passed out in the backseat instantly, and Peeta was in charge of driving. He gave Katniss a sloppy kiss, and when their noses touched, she giggled drunkenly. They started up the car, and were off._

_Apparently, Peeta was far drunker than he'd realized. While they were driving around some back roads, a deer scampered in front of the car. Peeta slammed the breaks immediately, making the car spin on the asphalt. It flew off the road, and down the side of the hill, and came to rest crashing into a tree at the bottom. Gale was awake immediately, and was relatively unscarred, save for a broken arm and a cut on his forehead. Peeta was worse for wear though. He had gotten the brunt of the hit. Luckily, he had wrapped himself around Katniss before they hit, so the worst she had was a broken rib._

_Gale called the ambulance immediately. With his good arm, he managed to drag Peeta and Katniss out of the rubble safely. Though Katniss's breathing was choppy, she was still breathing, which relived Gale immensely. What worried him was Peeta's condition. _

_Peeta was barely breathing, and when Gale took his pulse, it was weak. He had a gash on the back of his head that was pouring blood, turning his blond curls a crimson color. His collarbone was shaped funny, which led Gale to believe he had broken it. But the worst was his leg. The metal of the car had ripped, and the sharp part had pierced Peeta's leg from knee to ankle. The gash was pouring blood. It scared Gale past definition._

_The ambulance arrived just as Peeta's heart stopped. They got it started again, and thankfully, he survived. Peeta used to always joke about it, but Gale was the only one who understood how close to death his best friend was that night._

The boy grimaced, snapping out of his memory and touching the scar on his leg. He then turned back to his fiancée. She looked so fragile, so weak in that bed.

It broke him.

Tears gushed from his eyes, as he held her hand to his face. He sobbed quietly for a few moments, aware that the doctor was gone and his emotions could be let out. He heard the door click open.

Prim, Rory, and Gale rushed in, surrounding the bed.

"What the hell happened?!" Gale asked, his voice ringed in panic at seeing his baby sister in such a fragile state. Peeta explained the predicament to him. Gale ran a hand through his hair, exhaling loudly. His grey eyes were wet, and before Peeta knew it, Gale was crying.

Tears ran down his face, as Gale buried his head in his hands. Whimpering noises came from him. Peeta was shocked; in all the thirteen years he had known the Everdeen's, he had never heard Gale cry. He looked over to Prim and Rory. Rory's arms were around Prim, who was sobbing into his shirt. Rory's own face was wet with tears, his eyebrows furrowed in a sad expression. The boy turned back to the girl, watching her chest rise and fall. Hot tears prickled at the edge of his vision.

That night, they all took comfort in eachother for Katniss's sake. Prim and Rory dropped to sleep almost immediately, leaning against eachother. Gale nodded at Peeta, and they carried the two teenagers to Gale's car. Gale told Peeta that he'd be back as soon as he could. He had to alert his college if he wanted to leave, and even then, they may not let him.

"Take good care of her man, I'm counting on you," Gale said, putting a hand on Peeta's shoulder. Peeta nodded. Before he knew what was happening, Gale had him in an embrace. It startled Peeta, due to the fact that the older boy had never wanted any show of affection whatsoever. But desperate times called for comfort from even the most unlikely people.

Peeta headed back to Katniss's room, sitting next to her bed. He stroked her soft hair, his fingers writing messages in her palm, such as "I love you" or "come back to me"

And so this continued for a week. A week of Peeta staying by Katniss's bedside. A week of Peeta's spirits lowering. Every day she spent asleep, he sank deeper into depression and despair. The doctors told him it may take her years to wake up. Meanwhile, her coughs were getting slightly better, but were still heart wrenching to hear. Hacking coughs escaped her at random moments, sending Peeta into a blind panic.

Gale and Primrose visited often. Gale took note of the dark circles beneath Peeta's bloodshot eyes, and how the younger man always seemed to have a knot in his back, hunching over slightly when he walked. When he asked the boy, he shrugged it off, saying it was just from the hospital chair, but Gale knew better. He knew his sister's coma was killing off his best friend slowly. Gale tried to reason with Peeta and send him home, but the boy would hear none of it. He took it as his sole obligation to stay at Katniss's side. Eventually, Gale gave up trying to convince him.

Peeta was sitting next to Katniss's bed, doodling her small form. She looked sickly, but peaceful. He put down his sketchbook, and took her hand, bringing it to his mouth.

"Katniss, I know you're in there. If you can hear me, please, please come out. I miss you, and I want to see you again. I want to hear you talk, to hear you sing. I want to see your beautiful grey eyes, and kiss your soft lips. I want you to wake up and get better. Once you get better, we'll move back to the apartment. We'll get married, and I'll get to call you my wife. We'll get our own house Katniss, by the beach and the woods, just the way you've always wanted. Later on, we'll have kids, a boy and a girl. The girl will have your hair and face, but my skin and eyes. She'll love drawing and hunting. The boy will have my hair and face, but your skin and eyes. He'll love to sing like you, and I'll teach him how to bake. We can even have a pet, like Prim's hideous cat. Please Katniss; please come back to me,"

By the end of this, Peeta was crying. Little did he know Madge Undersee was hiding behind the door, listening to this. She put her back against the wall, and put a hand to her chest, silent tears slipping out of her light blue eyes. The boy's confession moved her. Her heart ached with the words he said, and she knew what she had to do.

There was a certain thing that doctors often used to bring patients out of their coma. It looked like a tiny pin. It gave a tiny static shock, too small to truly detect. It would trigger the nerves, and send signals to the brain that would wake the comatose person. Madge decided that this was the way to go.

She walked into the room, clearing her throat, and making sure she looked normal.

"Peeta, is there any way you could leave? I need to change Katniss's clothes," she said. Peeta blushed bright red and cleared his throat.

"Of course, I'll be waiting in the hallway,"

Madge nodded at him and closed the door. She knew she only had one shot at this. It would help Katniss come out of her coma, but only if Katniss was willing to.

"Come on Katniss, you gotta help me out here. That baker boy of yours is worrying himself sick," Madge said to her. She swabbed a bit of Katniss's arm, and swiftly, put the tiny pin in and pressed the button, sending a miniscule shock through her system. The girl's finger's twitched, and Madge knew she had to move fast. She removed the pin, smoothed out Katniss's covers, and exited the room.

"Peeta, you can come back in now. I changed her hospital gown," Madge said, praying that Peeta didn't notice Katniss's clothes looked the same. Peeta gave her a grateful smile, and Madge decided now was a great time to make herself scarce. She quickly scurried down the hallway and out of sight.

Peeta went back into the room, and clutched Katniss's hand. He pressed his forehead against it, his desperation growing, and his cool façade fading. He knew how stressed out he was. He could tell by the grey shade of his skin, and the dark, dark circles under his eyes, and the way how his messy hair stuck out and lost its sheen. He didn't care how he looked though, he just wanted her back.

"Please Katniss, please. Come back to me. I love you," he said, tears slipping out of his eyelids, getting caught in his lashes like gems. He put his head on the bed, and started to sob.

Peeta froze as soft gentle hands moved through his hair, wrapping the curls around its fingers. He looked up to see grey eyes looking at him.

"Hey, it's nice to see you again," she said, her voice raspy. A smile broke over Peeta's face, and he swooped down and hugged her. She chuckled, coughing slightly. Peeta was full out crying and laughing at the same time. He swooped down and gave her a kiss, and she responded feverently.

"I was so worried! I thought you were gone, and….I don't know what I'd do if you weren't with me anymore," he said. She smiled.

"Well, based on what I heard when I was half-asleep, you plan on making me your wife and starting a family with me, and getting us a house by the beach," she said, smirking. He chuckled slightly and crawled into the bed next to her, blushing bright red. She snuggled into him.

"Don't ever leave me again," he said, holding her close. She looked at him gently.

"I don't plan to."

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**Okay, so there's your weekly dose of angst. Caution should be taken while taking Angst. You should not overdose on Angst. Angst has many side effects.**

**Anyway, I just wanna add a note to my readers. I wrote this in my other story, and I'm gonna write it here too due to the fact that I got a few PM's asking me if I could add smut to this.**

**See that rating up there. Its rated T. Sorry folks, but its going to stay that way. I just cant write smut. I can't even stand to read it. I've attempted to write smut into my other story, "The Escape", but I kept gaggin while I was writing it, so I gave it up. All of my stories are rated T or less. I do imply sex and stuff, such as I did above my saying "Gale was doing unspeakable things in the bedroom", and in my other story saying "and then he turned her night into day" and naughty shit like that.**

**Call me a prude and what not, but I'm only fourteen, and still a virgin (thankfully). Heck, I've never even had a boyfriend, or my first kiss. Smut just doesn't work with me. That stuff gorsses me out. I cant even stand to read it. Most of you are older than me, like in your late teens, or early twenties and thirties with kids and stuff. Just remember I'm just a fourteen year old ninth grade girl writing this story, not a twenty nine year old with two kids. I'm young, and still quite the prude.**

**anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter! It ended on a light note, unlike most of the other chapters. You guys are probably gonna hate me in the next chapter, so I would enjoy this one while you can.**

**Okay, I'll try to update by next week!**

**REVIEW! it helps keep my morale up, and convinces me to update faster.**

**~Reaper (your typical angst ridden sugar addicted fourteen year old girl)**


	8. Chapter 8: The Hanging Tree

**A/N: And here's the last chapter. You guys are definitely going to hate me for this.**

**I'm working on the epilogue, and I'll post it up soon.**

**This chapter aroused many feelings in me, and i hope you find it just as emotional as I did. *gross sobbing***

**Disclaimer: The hunger games dont belong to me. They belong to the almightly Suzanne Collins.**

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_Love is watching someone die_

_~Horizon_

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"_Don't ever leave me again," he said, holding her close. She looked at him gently._

"_I don't plan to."_

She died the next day.

Overnight, the disease had progressed exponentially. The doctors, with grave looks on their faces, said that there was nothing that they could do. The disease was eating away at her lungs and heart. She was past the point of return.

The boy refused to believe this. He held her hand, comforting her as she grimaced in pain through the night. Hacking coughs came from her mouth, and it broke the boy's heart to see her in this much pain. Later on she started coughing up blood, and Gale ushered Prim out of the room, shielding her from the sight that was her dying sister. Prim was not naïve though. She calmly walked over to Katniss, tears slipping out of her blue eyes. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to her sister's forehead.

"I love you Katniss. You've been the best sister I could ask for. I know you're trying your hardest right now, but if you don't-" Prim's voice cracked. "-Make it, then remember that I'll always love you. I'll always be your little sister,"

Katniss nodded, tears slipping out of her eyes. With a weak hand, she caressed Prim's cheek, and then gave her a hug. Prim gave Katniss and kiss on the cheek, and then silently left, tears flowing out of her blue eye and down her porcelain face.

The brother, outside in the hallway, was torn to pieces. He was a wreck. Tears flowed endlessly from his eyes, as he sat there crying. He had seen Katniss earlier, and he understood what it meant. She was dying; his baby sister was dying, and he couldn't do anything about it. She said she loved him, and that he was the best big brother ever.

Her last words to him were, "Take care of Prim for me,"

And so he sat in the hospital chair, hunched over, his face in his hands. A look of utter pain and heartbreak graced his face. He was breaking down.

And he knew it.

In the room, Madge Undersee tended to Katniss's every need silently. Tears graced her pale beautiful face, as she saw the girl slowly dying, rasping in breaths. Her heart tugged painfully as she watched Katniss's family interact with the dying girl. She saw her older brother break down in tears and sobs, and she watched her little sister's solemn goodbye. She saw the way Katniss's lover broke every time she coughed, and the way his eyes screamed panic every time she whimpered.

Madge was the only one who realized that the girl's death was inevitable; there was no use hoping for a miracle. It was only a matter of time before her body gave in to the virus. During the girl's final moments, Madge left the room, her face tear streaked, giving the two lovers some privacy. She walked over slowly to the waiting area, and sat next to the older brother, who was still shaking and crying. She put a hand on his back, and rubbed gentle circles on it, trying to calm him. Madge understood how much love the brother had towards the dying girl. The older brother didn't object.

He needed some comfort right then and there, and he was willing to take it from anybody.

In the room, Peeta held Katniss's hand. She was trembling weakly, her body slowly shutting down. Her coughs brought up a little bit of blood each time. Peeta's heart was shattering bit by bit, and all he could do was pray, pray that by some miracle, she would heal. His mind hoped and hoped for this miracle, but a part of him knew that it wouldn't occur. She was too far gone.

In her final moments, Katniss looked to him, her eyes drooping slightly. She smiled, and lifted a hand to his face, stroking his jawline tenderly. Peeta leaned into her hand, closing his eyes.

"I love you Peeta. I'm sorry I couldn't fight harder," she said, tears forming in her eyes. His eyes snapped open, just as hers closed.

She took one last raspy breath.

And then she was gone.

The boy stared at her still form. He reached forward and kissed her cheek, but it was no longer so warm. He kissed her lips, trying to get some sort of reaction from her. She did nothing. He sat down, his eyes glazing over. He realized she was gone.

And it broke him entirely.

The doctors came a few hours later, all solemn and silent. The gently grasped Peeta's shoulders, and dragged him towards the door. Gale was waiting for Peeta there. The older boy's face was devoid of any emotion, and his eyes were dulled. Gale dutifully led Peeta to the car, where Prim and Rory were waiting. The four of them wordlessly went back to the Everdeen home.

Mrs. Everdeen no longer lived at the home. Ever since Katniss's illness struck, she left for her cousin's home down south. She hadn't visited her daughter once; for fear that it would break her.

The four of them walked into the silent household. The place had taken on a dull, lifeless feeling. Prim and Rory went up to Prim's room, where they lay on the bed, crying until the wee hours of the morning. Gale went up to his own room, and threw himself into his work, stopping constantly to brush his eyes and fight back the tears that were threatening to spill over. This was his way of coping with things, and over the years, he had perfected his coping mechanism. He worked tediously, trying to ignore the hurt in his heart and his soul.

Peeta's reaction to her death was heartbreaking. They had led him to Katniss's old room, where he sat on the bed, staring at the picture of her across the room. His eyes had a glazed over look to them, as he stared idly for hours. When Gale came in, his heart clenched painfully. He realized that his best friend, the man who was practically his brother, had become a shell of his former self, just as his mother had. He gently coaxed Peeta to go to sleep. The blonde man complied, though his mind was in a different place, a place far from his physical being.

Peeta sat in bed that night, fingering Katniss's blankets. He laid his head on her pillow, and took a deep breath, taking in her scent.

And then he broke. He started sobbing, curling into a ball. His deep sobs echoed through the house, mixed in with Prim's whimpers and Rory and Gale's silent tears. Peeta grasped at his hair, gasping for breath and crying out. He cried for hours, until he finally fell asleep, hugging her pillow to his chest.

The next morning, the four mourned Katniss's death silently. Prim and Rory sat down, hugging eachother for comfort. Gale continued his schoolwork, finishing projects that weren't due for the next three months, and researching extra topics. Peeta sat in bed, staring at the wall, his eyes glassy, his mind remembering the dead girl and all the times they had shared.

And so this continued for three days. Three days of mourning and coping. On the fourth day, something within Peeta snapped, and he lost all semblance of sanity.

He began humming a tune. He exited the room, took a shower, and walked downstairs to breakfast, humming the tune. It was Katniss's favorite song, one that she always loved singing.

_Are you, are you, coming to the tree?_

_Where they strung up a man, said to murder three,_

_Strange things did happen here not stranger would it be,_

_If we met up at midnight, in the hanging tree._

The other family members were surprised that he had come out of the room. Gale was slightly relieved, but then his concern increased tenfold as he saw Peeta's glazed over eyes, and the way he would continue to hum the morbid tune, refusing to talk to any of them.

_Are you, are you, coming to the tree?_

_Where the dead man called out, for his love to flee,_

_Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be,_

_If we met up at midnight, in the hanging tree._

He continued this song through the next two days, only stopping when he slept. He found a few pictures of Katniss in her room, and he would stare at them every day longingly, tears slipping from his eyes. He shuffled through them, and found a picture of them kissing under the mistletoe.

It was then that he knew what he had to do.

_Are you, are you, coming to the tree?_

_Where I told you to run, so we'd both be free,_

_Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be,_

_If we met up at midnight, in the hanging tree._

He looked through her closet, and found what he was looking for. A thick piece of rope was hidden in the corner. He took it, and used a chair to reach the highest bar in the closet. He tied the rope around the bar.

_Are you, Are you, coming to the tree?_

He continued humming the song, and went over to the bed, grabbing the picture of the two of them underneath the mistletoe. He put it in his shirt pocket, close to his heart.

_Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me,_

He looked at her picture one last time, and memories flashed through the boy's head. Memories of better times, when his love for her was indescribable. A sudden image of a young girl with dark hair and blue eyes, and a young boy with blonde hair and grey eyes assaulted his mind, and left him in tears. He clutched the memory close to his heart.

A memory of what could have been.

_Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be,_

The boy walked over to the chair in the closet. Taking a deep breath, he stepped onto it, and adjusted the noose around his neck.

_If we met up at midnight, in the hanging tree._

He looked out into the room one last time. An image of her grey eyes flashed through his mind, and he stopped his humming for a moment.

"I'm coming Katniss, I'll be with you again. I love you," he rasped.

He took a deep breath, tears flowing down his face.

And stepped off the chair.

* * *

**Allow me to get some armor on before all of my readers start throwing bricks at me. *scampers away***

***puts armor on***

***scampers back***

**Anyway, I can't believe this is the last chapter! It's been bittersweet, but sadly, all good things have to end. *gross sobbing***

**Anyway, I hope you guys liked that chapter. On the other hand, I know for a fact that more than half of you want to bludgeon me to death at this very moment.**

**This story was meant to be very emotional, and from the beginning, I had it planned that both Katniss and Peeta died in the end. I'm sorry folks, but this is how it ends.**

**I find that I'm very good at morbid fanfics. I pride myself in that. *creepy smile***

**Anyway, I never thought I'd actually finish a multi chapter fanfic. I tried that once, with "The Escape", but you can see how well that turned out.**

**Presently, I have started the epilogue. I'll try to get it up by tommorow, and if not, Monday. I'm also working on a one-shot outtake for this piece, which I will post up soon.**

**Thank you for sticking with me though this entire story.**

**Please REVIEW and tell me how I did. You can also voice your death threats there :P**

**~Reaper**


	9. Epilogue: Bittersweet Goodbye

**A/N: And here's the epilogue folks! It was fun while it lasted, but sadly this fic is now over. *grossly sobs again***

** By the way, I've received all the brick's you guys threw at me. I am currently building a brick house for the third little pig.**

** Thank you to all of you who stuck with me through the whole story. I feel like a grew a lot writing this, both as a writer and as a young adult.**

** Without further adieu, the epilogue!**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own the hunger games.**

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**NOTE: This chapter is nine years after their deaths**

* * *

The little sister walked towards the graves, flowers in her hand.

It had been nine years since the girl and the boy died. The little sister was no longer so little. She was now twenty-three, and a new wife to Rory Hawthorne.

Prim walked towards the statues that decorated the area behind their graves. Peeta's brother was a metal smith, so he had immediately made a shrine to his dead brother and his soon-to-be sister out of a special non-rusting metal. The two lovers were buried in a meadow, beneath a weeping willow tree. Around the tree, there were multiple statues of them, across the ages. A simple tombstone decorated their graves. When they buried Katniss and Peeta, they made a dual casket so that the two lovers would be embracing even in death.

The little sister walked to the statue behind the tree, her favorite one. It was a statue of the boy and the girl's future, if they had lived. Peeta had arm around Katniss, and there was a little girl with pigtails riding on his shoulders, grinning toothily. Katniss was holding a toddler boy, with messy blonde curls. The two lovers looked older, but the happiness that radiated in their eyes was apparent to all who saw the beautiful statue. Prim's eyes prickled with tears as she saw her now deceased sister and her brother-in-law. They would have been twenty-eight had they lived.

Multiple other statues were situated around the large tree. There was one where Peeta was leaning against the tree, and Katniss's head was in his lap, allowing him to play with her hair. Another one was of them hunting, Katniss stringing back her bow, and Peeta assuming a hunter's stance. One showed Peeta painting and Katniss leaning over his shoulder, a mischievous expression on her face. Yet another one was of them kissing. One of Prim's favorites was the one that was positioned in the tree's strong branches. It was Katniss and Peeta as children. Their grins stretched along their faces, as they sat in the tree side by side, gazing out onto the meadow. All the statues were incredibly realistic, and the only thing that distinguished them from real people was their metallic glow.

Prim travelled back around to the actual graves. She kneeled down in front of the tombstone, reading the words.

_In memory of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark_

_Loving sister, friend, daughter, and fiancé_

_Loving brother, friend, son, and fiancé_

_The lovers who died for eachother lay here wrapped in an embrace. Their love spanned their lifetime,_

_And carried on into the afterlife._

_Rest in Peace._

Prim read the tombstone, tears prickling in her eyes. She cleared her throat.

"Hey Katniss, hey Peeta. How are you guys? I'm great right now. Guess what? Gale recently found out he was going to have a daughter. His son is so excited. You should see his son Katniss, he's three years old, and he looks like Madge but with Gale's hair."

" I recently got married to Rory too, and don't worry Katniss, he's good to me. I know that if you were still here, you would be on his tail right now, and he would wake up with an arrow in his throat. Our wedding was amazing; it was next to the beach. Guess what Peeta? I found the house that you and Katniss always dreamed of. It was a little house next to the beach, bordering the woods. Rory's thinking of moving there."

" I wish you guys could have been there. You could have been the Maid of Honor Katniss, and Peeta could've been the best man. And your children-" Prim choked back a sob as she said this, "-And your daughter could have been the flower girl, and your son could have been the ring bearer." Prim stopped talking for a moment, taking deep breaths as tears flowed down her cheeks. She heard Rory come up behind her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. She sniffled, and nodded her head, wiping her cheeks. He kneeled down next to her.

"Hey Katniss, hey Peeta. How are you guys? I'm doing fine, and so is Prim. Don't worry Katniss, you don't need to come after me, I'll take care of her. I lover he so very much, and I'm going to make sure nothing happens to her, you can count on me." he said, his eyes softening and developing a sad look. He wrapped an arm around Prim, and she began to talk.

"I wish you guys could have been at the wedding. You would've loved it Peeta, and we would have asked you to bake the cake. Vick was the best man, Posy was the Maid of Honor, and Gale's son was the ring bearer. My friend Rue's daughter was the flower girl. It was a wonderful wedding, but I really wish you guys were there. I-"her voice cracked once more, "- I really miss you guys. I love you guys, and I really wish you were here with me right now. But I know that you can't be here with me, I know that you're in a happier place now,"

Prim placed the flowers on the center of their grave. She and Rory then got up, and went to the other end of the meadow.

The Deserted Trail lay in front of them, beautiful and lush. They looked up, and saw the sunset on the horizon. The boy's and the girl's favorite colors, green and orange, clashed beautifully on the horizon, a tribute to the fallen lovers.

Watching the sunset, Prim knew that even though her sister and brother-in law were gone from the earth, they would always be with her, in her heart, and in her soul.

And so the two walked along the Deserted Trail, keeping their pasts close to their hearts,

And moving forward towards the distant future.

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**And there it is folks. The end of "The Deserted Trail". Don't worry, I'll still be writing. I'm currently working on my other story "Clockwork". Go give it a read if you'd like. Its not as emotional as this, but has many elements of sci-fi.**

**I'm also thinking of writing an outtake one-shot for this story. I'll post the link in this story once I finish writing it.**

**Thank you to all of you who reviewed and favorited this story. When I first started this, I was a bit unsure of myself, since my previous two fanfics turned out to be drastic failures. I was pleasantly surprised by the positive reaction this fanfic was getting. Thank you for sticking with me through the whole thing.**

**REVIEW one last time please, and tell me how I did.**

**Goodbye dear readers, **

**Until next fanfic,**

**~Reaper (your typical angsty fourteen year old sugar addict who's also a pyro)**


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